Tag Archives: Joey Votto

The Cincinnati Reds finished up unloading all their tradable stars when they recently sent Brandon Phillips to Atlanta. They still have a couple stars on the team, but Homer Bailey is broken and there’s no chance they are trading Joey Votto.

The Reds have relied on rookie starting pitching since just after the 2015 trade deadline (yes, well over a season). Their young pitchers have shown promise, but you can’t expect the Reds to be very competitive during this stretch.

Homer Bailey will once again start the season on the DL after undergoing another elbow surgery. Which young starter will emerge as the ace of the staff?

The Cincinnati Reds started unloading players at last year’s trade deadline and continued to clean house this offseason. They are now building toward the future and still have some pieces to move.

The Reds had rookies start nearly every game from the trade deadline until the end of last season. They gained experience and they overall pitched well above expectations. They won’t have a solid bullpen backing them up this year.

The Cincinnati Reds have been NL Central contenders for the last few years, but Pittsburgh and St. Louis have taken control of the division. The destiny of the Reds rides on the health of Joey Votto, who missed a huge chunk of time in two of the last three seasons.

The Reds will rely heavily on their starting rotation. They do have a slight edge in that category over the top teams in the NL Central. They need their offense to come back (28th in Runs Scored in 2014) in order to take advantage of having aces Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey.

First base is EXTREMELY deep this season. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences. Players with upside usually take precedent over consistent players with little to no upside.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Adrian Gonzalez or Freddie Freeman?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers – Most have Miggy as a top-five fantasy first baseman, but I think they are selling the former MVP short. He dealt with injuries for most of last year and he still knocked 25 homers and hit .313. I believe he’ll have another season of at least 35 homers and .310+. I just couldn’t pick another first baseman if Miggy is still on the board.

Putting together fantasy baseball first baseman rankings is always difficult. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Joey Votto or Freddie Freeman?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – If Chris Davis didn’t have such an amazing year, Goldschmidt would have been the run away #1 overall first baseman this season. The addition of Mark Trumbo helps protect him better in the lineup. I expect another 35/120/.300 season from Goldschmidt.

2. Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles – We all knew Davis had power, but he surprised everyone with his output in 2013. At one point in the season, he looked like he could surpass the Roger Maris home run record (I have a hard time acknowledging those who broke his home run record). Davis may see a slight decline since pitchers will do their best to avoid pitching to him.

The Cincinnati Reds have been NL Central contenders for the last few years, but Pittsburgh emerged and St. Louis doesn’t seem to have an off-year. They lost Shin-Soo Choo and Bronson Arroyo to free agency and didn’t do much in free agency.

Their biggest offseason move was firing Dusty Baker. They hired pitching coach Bryan Price as their new skipper. He’s an experienced and heralded pitching coach, but this will be his first season as a manager.

The Reds will rely heavily on Jay Bruce and Joey Votto to drive in runs this season. They also need Todd Frazier to bounce back from a forgettable 2013 season. It’s not much to ask since he looked like a future All-Star his rookie season.

Super prospect Billy Hamilton is expected to be on the Opening Day roster. He is one of the best base runners in all of baseball, but is expected to have issues getting on base. Will he succeed or end up in the minors at some point?

The World Baseball Classic has been lost in the shuffle with the beginning of Spring Training, but it kicks off this weekend on March 2nd.

It’s an event that’s supposed to showcase the world’s best…but at the same time, aggravate the pants off every Major League team’s front office. They must hate seeing their pitchers waste their arms in an International tournament.

Asian countries have had the most success in this format, but the Latin American countries always bring the most individual talent. The rosters have been finalized and we list the notable players who will play in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Continue reading →

First Base is the deepest position in fantasy baseball this year. A first baseman who swing for the fences are not hard to find in 2013. You add that group with the recent trend of young catchers playing their off days at first base and you understand why this area is so deep.

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are in the second year of their American League switch. Will they see a stat increase or will pitchers figure them out?

A group of young first baseman are entering their prime. Will Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Eric Hosmer or Ike Davis jump to the next level?